Thread: First shave produced more questions...help!

My birthday is Wednesday so I decided to travel up to Denver to visit The Art of Shaving store and make a few purchases. I bought a new carbon steel straight razor accoutered with the shaving balm/creme/oil and a strop. I decided to give it a go last night after having thought I read all I needed to do to give it a try.
I was frustrated, scared and discouraged.
First, can anyone suggest how to hold one's facial skin taut after it's been oiled and creamed? I was having trouble holding on to my skin. Should I only lather one part of my face at a time?
I tried shaving my neck, but couldn't maneuver the razor to go with the grain because the hair on my neck grows out toward my ears.
I read the instruction paper from Thiers Issard and it said I shouldn't strop the razor until after several shaves. I thought I had read on straight razor place that I should strop before and after. So I tried stropping with a Dovo hanging strop after the shave, I was very afraid of bending the razor and I just felt awkward...reminded me of when I first began playing the guitar.
Gentlemen, any help or suggestions would be appreciated.
Thank you.

I have a few things

Originally Posted by spohkh

I bought a new carbon steel straight razor

Was this razor honed by a pro prior to use? (I don't have experience w/ the AOS shave readiness)


First, can anyone suggest how to hold one's facial skin taut after it's been oiled and creamed? I was having trouble holding on to my skin. Should I only lather one part of my face at a time?

I'd go very light on the oils and stretch from a dry place (like somewhere that never had oil/lather, or somewhere that you just shaved all of the lather and oil off from. You could also lather part at a time, and this may be a good idea. I'd suggest starting by only shaving your sideburns and cheek areas until you get the feel for the process a bit.

I tried shaving my neck, but couldn't maneuver the razor to go with the grain because the hair on my neck grows out toward my ears.

Don't sweat it, use a stroke that you can do.

I read the instruction paper from Thiers Issard and it said I shouldn't strop the razor until after several shaves. I thought I had read on straight razor place that I should strop before and after.

I strop before and after, but it isn't the law

So I tried stropping with a Dovo hanging strop after the shave, I was very afraid of bending the razor and I just felt awkward...reminded me of when I first began playing the guitar.

It is going to take some time until you are comfortable.. don't worry about it, keep at it and you'll get it

My dear Spohkh:

Welcome to SRP. We are here to help you start properly with straight razor shaving, and help you along.

First, in all likelihood, your razor only carries a factory edge and needs to be honed. I suggest sending it to one of the many professional honemeisters here at SRP or among the vendors mentioned.

Next, please explore the Wiki. It has mounds of information for someone entering the wet shaving and straight razor world.

I suggest holding off on your next straight razor shave until you have read up on what's involved in wet shaving with straight razor shaving.

After that, then, please post any remaining questions you might have and you'll have your answer in no time.

We are delighted you have joined us. Not to worry: before long we'll have you on your way to successful shaving with a straight razor. Please have patience and be methodical about this whole thing. Believe me, once you go into it prepared, you will begin to glide along.

You are more than welcome to send me a personal message, too, if you like.

Regards,
Obie

I don't know if his is right because I'm a newby too but i think the most important is to take your time. My first shave took about a half hour to an hour and this just for an wtg pass
it's indeed like learning to play the guitar in the beginning it's difficult and it doesn't go smooth but it will improve

You've had some great answers already so I won't go into further detail. Though, do take on board the suggestions to get the razor properly sharpened, the difference between a factory edge and true shave ready is like night and day. The learning curve is steep and that your first shave produced more questions than answers is normal (totally reflects my own experience), don't worry about that, just keep asking, learning, don't be too discouraged and good luck.

Sharp razor with a light touch.

First of all Happy birthday,
I`ve been shaving for a month now and its all finally starting to come naturally to me, i remember my first shave after i lathered i had to put my razor down and take a couple of breaths i was so discoraged.
My main bit of advice to you is HAVE FUN, play with and experiment with your razor and shaving tecnique, its not like some one is marking you on it afterwards, it will all come with time. so just relax and enjoy it.

Originally Posted by spohkh

First, can anyone suggest how to hold one's facial skin taut after it's been oiled and creamed? I was having trouble holding on to my skin. Should I only lather one part of my face at a time?

What i do is on my cheeks, i shave the top half on my right side then do the top half on my left, pulling from the sideburn/temple area. i then do my upper lip. by the time i`ve done all this my right cheek has dried off, and i can pull up from the top half of my cheek to get the bottom half, and my jawline.

Originally Posted by spohkh

I tried shaving my neck, but couldn't maneuver the razor to go with the grain because the hair on my neck grows out toward my ears.

I have a similar problem except my grain gos the opposite direction, i tend to do accross the grain passes on my neck, north to south then south to north, except i try to do it at an angle. so rather than adams apple to chin, i`ll go adams apple to side of mouth, and that seems to work for me


.

Originally Posted by spohkh

I read the instruction paper from Thiers Issard and it said I shouldn't strop the razor until after several shaves. I thought I had read on straight razor place that I should strop before and after. So I tried stropping with a Dovo hanging strop after the shave, I was very afraid of bending the razor and I just felt awkward

Stropping is the one area where i still feel nervous, however practice is the key. I tend to strop only before use, and my recent discovery is that a little pressure is needed when stropping.
When i first started i was putting NO pressure on the razor, and i struggled and the razor seemed to blunt, but i have started using very slight pressure [about the same amount of pressure i use to stick a stamp on a letter] and my stropping has improved greatly, i find it easyer to controll the razor so my strokes are much more even and the razor seems to keep its edge better.


as i said i`m still a newbie but this is what wrks for me.
hoe this helps.

Congrats!!!
Happpy birthday!!!

You will most likely need to get it honed by a pro, the razor itself may be excellent, but making the edge is a specialized thing. The only time youll get a razor shave ready off the production line is if you get it hand made by say Mastro Livi or if you buy it from SRD or from a member here. In the members services, there will be people who can hone her up for you .

With stropping, you must be very very light. I was told that you push down on the strop as hard as you can push a needle onto your arm without it hurting. So it must be just touching. But the feel comes with experience .

Good luck!!!!!!

EDIT:
As you practise, you will get to know how to stretch your skin, and which strokes work well for parts of your face. The best thing you can do is read and practise

Welcome! Happy Birthday!

+1 to all the advise given thus far.

If stropping makes you nervous, try practicing with a butter knife, that way you can get the movements down. Doing the same to get down the strokes on your face can be beneficial as well.

keep at it, and don't be afraid to ask questions. This is a great group of people, all willing to help each other out.

First, as others have said, you need to hone the razor. It is highly unlikely that a razor just "out of the box" will be sharp enough. You can do it yourself if you buy the correct tools, or you can have it done, probably for less than the cost of a good hone.

If your skin feels oily, you are using too much oil/balm or what ever. Start stretching from places that do not have oil and/or lather (I usually shave the sides of my face first starting from the top and stretch from just above the hair line). Once you have gone over an area, you should be able to stretch from there for the adjacent part of your face.

If stropping feals ackward, then you are doing something wrong. The best way to strop is the way that feels right. Just pull the strop tight, rest the razor on the strop (no downward force, just the weight of the razor) and take a natural stroke leading with the spine. Go slow at first to work on your timing.

Your shaving strokes should be natural as well, don't worry about WTG, XTG, ATG. Just use the stroke that comes naturally. If it feels ackward or contrived, don't do it.

Regardless of what some may say, this is not rocket science. It's a relatively simple mechanical skill that can be mastered by anyone with normal coordination and the willingness to learn. You probably already do things that are more difficult.